By:Catherine Pergolis
With three autumn dishes and two different restau-rants, Chef Nello Caccioppoli of the North End’s Bricco and Mare incorporates classic and traditional flavors into his favorite seasonal meals. At Bricco, Chef described his two favorite dishes, the short ribs and the truffle farfalloni, a pasta that is shaped like butterflies. Braised for four hours with red wine, the short ribs are a customer favorite. The creamy polenta, chestnuts, vegetables and dried fruit gel topping allow diners to feel like they are in Italy sitting in front of the fireplace enjoying a meal with family and friends. Chef recommends a rich red wine, such as a glass of Sangiovese, to compliment the dish. Another Bricco Fall favorite is the truffle farfalloni. This very successful dish includes fava beans, pancetta, cherry tomatoes, lobster, fresh black truffle and is topped with pecorino. Chef explained that this dish’s ingredients are a good balance between New England and Italy thanks to the lobster and the traditional farfalloni. At Mare, the menu changes less frequently considering it is fully based on what is caught from the sea. The cold loin that includes butternut squash, stuffed bell peppers with lobster and bread and a side salad is one of Chef’s favorite fall dishes to serve through the winter. As he does with his other dishes, Chef com-bines flavors from Italy and New England to fully encompass the Italian culture of the North End.

Photo credit Rocco Capano